Discover the Pink Lakes of Australia

Get your camera’s ready as the pink lakes of Western Australia have to be seen to be believed. The most famous of these lakes is Hiller Lake (pictured above). It has been featured in several commercials, starting with a KIA commercial in 2017. A Korean pop video was filled there recently and more and more ads are being shot featuring these wonders.

Every time the lake shows up in a media piece, new visitors make their way here as they want to actually see if it is an incredible in person as it appears on TV. Well it is.

Nearby Hutt Lagoon’s (pictured above) striking pink color is thanks to algae that live in the water, Dunaliella salina. When exposed to sunlight, the algae produces beta-carotene, the red pigment found in carrots and other vegies. Thanks to those color-producing properties, the algae are farmed for use in cosmetics and supplements, and as a natural food dye.

The lagoon covers a whopping 70 square kilometres, tends to be at its pinkest in the mornings, and changes character according to the weather and the seasons.

“If it’s overcast it might look grey or silver,” says Hay. “Or it could go the other way, and the clouds could turn pink because of the reflection. Some days it’s so bright it’s almost purple.”

In summer (winter in North America), much of the lagoon dries out, and the remaining water tends to be a less vibrant pink. “It’s still beautiful in its own right, but it’s different,” Hay says.

The couple’s tours of Hutt Lagoon use a six-seater buggy to take guests over sand dunes for a high-vantage-point view of the lake and encounters with emus, kangaroos and lizards, as well as on a journey through “miles of wildflowers” in spring.

In summer, the tours drive over the dried-out sections of salt bed, and the buggy reveals its significant advantage over traditional 4WD vehicles: it doesn’t sink. “We do recovery mission after recovery mission of people who try and drive over the salt flats,” Hay says. She doesn’t recommend walking on the lake bed for precisely this reason. “It’s very salty and soft, and can be quite slimy.”

Down off the coast at Esperance, another of Western Australia’s famous pink lakes can be found on Middle Island. Experts aren’t sure why Lake Hillier is bubblegum pink – some say it’s a matter of algae; others believe that it’s a result of a bacteria found in the water. But unlike Hutt Lagoon, with its ever-changing nature, Lake Hillier maintains its vibrant shade all year round. (Lake Hiller is pictured at the top of this page.)

In 1802, when explorer Matthew Flinders first sighted the body of water, he noted it as “a small lake of a rose colour”. Maybe he was underselling it to try to keep people away. Because the island setting, which juxtaposes the bright pink lake with brilliant blue water, makes Lake Hillier utterly spectacular.

It’s possible to visit Middle Island by boat or helicopter. With Goodwin McCarthy Helicopters, you can land on the island and explore camp ruins once occupied by Black Jack Anderson, Australia’s only known pirate, who terrorised the waterways around these parts in the 1830s. The tour then moves on to the lake, though guests are not allowed too close to the water because of the potential impact of increasing tourist numbers on this unique environment.

Robert Blok, Esperance district manager of the Parks and Wildlife Service, asks that if people want to set foot on Middle Island they do so only with licensed operators. “Biosecurity and the protecting the island’s fragile ecosystem are key areas of concern,” Blok explains.

If you’re not interested in exploring the island on foot, there is another option: seeing Lake Hillier from above. A scenic flight from Esperance with Goldfields Air Services will take you over the confusingly named Pink Lake on the mainland (which is usually pale blue and has disappointed more than a few visitors) before sweeping over the incredible coastline of Cape Le Grand National Park and out to the real pink lake – Lake Hillier – located on Middle Island.

“You get the contrast of the green of the island, the beautiful bubblegum pink of the lake and the aqua of the ocean,” Blok says. “It’s a fantastic perspective.”

Please note the pink colour of Lake Hillier is a natural phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed depending on the natural changes in the lake. When the lake is discoloured, scenic flights that usually operate over the area will instead take tourists over the amazing two-dozen pink and rainbow coloured lakes nestled amongst the farmland near Esperance.

You can get to Esperance (EPP) from Sydney (SYD). The flight is about 10 hours. From Perth (PER) it is about a 3 hour flight to Esperance (EPP). You will find 3 and 4 star hotels in Esperance. To search for hotel options in Esperance at a discount click here and pick from either hotel booking engine on the page.